btw a netbook would make a brilliant gift.. plus they would fall well within your allocated budget too (AUD400-600 is what they cost I guess).. I would say, forget about the bulky notebooks, go for a netbook instead.. Unfortunately Toshiba doesnt make them, so you've a limited choice here..
Either go for any of the Eee pc from Asus or the ones from HP (I would go for the HP here)... Sony makes them too, but they are quite overpriced (the latest one is AUD1800 something)..
Since its not going to be used for gaming and stuff, I believe there's nothing better than a netbook that you can gift to anyone..